Up & Coming Lawyers: Justin Cohen

When Justin Cohen helped obtain a protection order for a woman victimized by domestic abuse, it reassured him both of his competency as an attorney and of his desire to do work that helps those less fortunate than him. He said while the case itself didn’t span a long amount of time, it’s one that has stuck with him the most during his five years of practicing.

“That was both a confidence builder for me as well as reaffirmed my desire to assist people who need representation and who can’t help themselves,” he said.

Cohen practices in commercial litigation at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck. A native of Iowa City, he received his law degree from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. Cohen is the first to admit he probably doesn’t sleep as much as he should, because he sits on multiple committees at Brownstein, complements his regular practice with pro bono work with domestic abuse survivors through Project Safeguard and serves as president of Colorado’s Asian Pacific American Bar Association. He said his desire to give back through his legal work has also informed his motivation to stay highly involved at Brownstein and in “extracurricular” legal community involvement.

“We have obligations as lawyers, because we are in such a unique position, to benefit society in whatever way,” Cohen said. “I think it’s both a professional obligation, but (also) something that has just driven me to be a part of something to try to assist others in overcoming challenges.” In addition to working with domestic abuse survivors, he is also passionate about helping underprivileged youth and promoting diversity and inclusion in the legal profession.